


Foster Home for Lost Angels

by pumpkinpeasy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father Figures, Ficlet, Foster Care, Gabriel is a sweetheart, Hurt Castiel, Innocent Castiel, Kid Castiel, No Slash, One Shot, Other, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Protective Dean, Rape Recovery, Toddlers, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6496366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkinpeasy/pseuds/pumpkinpeasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam Winchester run a foster home for children. Dean takes notice of a toddler named Castiel, who was abused by his last foster parents and is now in need of new caregivers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foster Home for Lost Angels

Dean Winchester led Cas by the arm over to the play table in the dayroom, setting him down next to Anna and Hannah before giving him his juicebox back.  
  
“Cas, you could stay here with the others, okay?” he said, and Cas nodded. “You might like it.”  
  
Cassie bobbed his small, round head again, his silky dark hair flopping in his face and he picked up a blue crayon from the little table. He resumed drinking from his juicebox and scribbling all over a piece of paper with the blue. The bright ocean crayon matched his beautiful eyes.  
  
Dean made sure that the tykes were all settled in, before he went back to guard the door. This was his job; making sure that all the kids in the home stayed healthy and happy, until they could find families. Cas wouldn’t stay happy if he kept straying from the others and crying. It had been the twelfth time that week, that Dean had found Cas curled up near the door, sobbing his heart out.  
  
He could never blame the little boy. Cas had been horribly abused by his last foster family, before they tossed him back into the system. He’d been sexually beaten and assaulted, denied food and fresh water, sometimes forced to eat out of a dog bowl. Dean, at 26 years old, hadn’t been through as much as this 4-year-old boy.  
  
He crossed his arms over his chest, and watched the other kids playing at the table. Cas slowly stopped scribbling, when the paper was full of bright blue marks and scratches. He sniffled and curled into his chair, holding his juicebox. Dean supposed the starvation tactic his last fosters had used on the boy, was the reason he’d gotten much thinner than the others.  
  
Dean didn’t think many of the other small ones had been abused - it was mostly the adolescents, here.  
  
Cas turned and looked over his shoulder at Dean, then looked across the room at the toybox. Cassie tipped out of his chair and toddled over to the colorful box and pulled out a purple ball. He sat on his knees and bounced it, watching it hit the wall and bumble back to him. Cas tossed it back to the wall, and caught it in his small hands as it came back again.  
  
Dean didn’t take action until Cas had started angrily smashing the ball into the floor.  
  
Dean walked across the room, past the other little ones and over to Cas, gently prying off his grip from the ball and placing it beside him.  
  
“What’s wrong, buddy?” he asked.  
  
Cas looked up at him with big, turquoise eyes.  
  
“Dee, hugs!” he cried, which was more than his usual unintelligible babble.  
  
He flung his arms around Dean and sniveled, burrowing his small head into his shoulder before he started crying again. Dean hushed him and squeezed him tight, and gently rubbed his back, but nothing worked. Cassie kept gurgling and sobbing hard, clinging to Dean like Velcro.  
  
“Hey, Cassie, it’s okay. It’s okay, kiddo.” Dean promised, “You’re okay and I’m keeping you safe. Alright? Right, kiddo?”  
  
Cas nodded hard into his shoulder, wiping at his runny nose.  
  
“Okay. Shh, shhh… shh, baby, it’s okay.”  
  
Cassie choked on his tears, just as Sam came into the room. “Everything alright?”  
  
“Yeah, Cassie’s just getting worked up again.” Dean told his brother. Sam made a sympathetic face, and went back to the adolescent room.  
  
The adolescent room is where they keep the kids from 9 to 15 years old. Sam was in charge of that area, making sure nothing got out of hand and it all stayed nice and contained. He wasn’t good for taking care of the small ones in the way that Dean did, since most little kids would be scared of someone Sammy’s size. Instead, Dean cared for the small ones, since most of them were docile anyway.  
  
Dean heard an occasional scream or cuss word from Sam’s area, startling the little ones, but they mostly stayed happy.  
  
Cas sniffled one last time, before detaching himself from Dean. He used his shirt to wipe his nose, though Dean didn’t like it when Cas used his own clothes. He rubbed Cassie’s shoulders, and wiped away stray tears that kissed down flushed cheeks.  
  
“You okay?” he asked, and Cas bobbed his head.  
  
Cas put his small, star-shaped hands on Dean’s face, and looked at his green eyes. He chewed his lips and touched Dean’s nose carefully, pressing his smaller nose against Dean’s. He smiled at the toddler, who seemed to brighten up.  
  
“You want more juice?” he asked, and Cas bobbed his head again. “Okay. I’ll tell you what - you go sit with the others, I’ll bring you more juice.”  
  
Cassie stumbled a little as he toddled back over to the table, crawling up into his chair again and sitting by Hannah and Anna. He picked up several crayons and started drawing a new picture. Dean smiled and walked out of the room.  
  
He reached the fridge and pulled out a box of grape juice, and just as he was about to go back, he was halted by a very large Sam. His brother blocked the way, and motioned for them to step aside and speak.  
  
“Dean… I’m worried about him.” he said, and Dean rolled his eyes “I’m serious, Dean! He’s four years old. Maybe he needs help.”  
  
“What, like psychiatric help? Like putting a four-year-old into therapy, where he’s gonna have to relive what happened to him, over and over?” Dean asked, “I don’t think so. We can protect the kid, now, and we will, Sammy. Right?”  
  
“Right…”  
  
Dean looked at Cassie, who was sitting at the table and babbling softly at Anna, the little girl with bright red hair and silver eyes. She handed him her green crayon, and went back to drawing.  
  
“Sam… I know he’s messed up.”  
  
“He spends all day crying, or following you around like a puppy--”  
  
“Which, need I remind you, is pretty much what you did as a kid.” Dean snapped.  
  
“Yeah, but I was never sexually abused.” Sam said. “Listen… If I needed help - mental help, you wouldn’t think twice about it. If I really needed help. Cas, really needs help.”  
  
“You remember that little kid, Adam?” Dean asked.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“He watched his mom die in front of him, and he grew up strong. He grew up like you and me, and Cas just needs the right parents.” Dean said softly, “If push comes to shove… you and me can be the right parents. That’s what we promised, when we opened up this place, right?”  
  
“Right…” Sam murmured.  
  
Dean squeezed his shoulder, and looked into the room for small ones. He patted Sammy’s back, and walked past him. Cas perked up when he arrived, outstretching his arms and getting his juicebox. Dean peered down at the paper Cas had been scribbling furiously at, and saw what he’d drawn.  
  
“You, Dee.” Cas said, “Is you, me, Sammy.”  
  
“That’s great, Cassie.” he said, “That’s really great.”  
  
Dean heard what had to be that delinquent Balthazar, smashing something glass in the other room, followed by two kids scrambling. Sam dashed into the room for bigger kids, and corralled them back into their play area.  
  
“If none of you can behave, then you can’t stay in here!” he snapped, and he heard Gabriel giggle as he scampered down the hallway.  
  
Gabe had somehow snuck past Sammy, and was making his way towards the room for small ons. Dean watched Cas light up at the sight of his brother, and toddle out of his chair to go latch onto him. Gabe stumbled back, Cas clinging to him until they tumbled onto the floor and snuggled together.  
  
“Gabiel! Gabbiel!” Cas babbled, and cuddled up to his brother.  
  
“Hey kiddo.” Gabe murmured, and snuggled him nice and close, “You okay?  
  
“I okay.” Cas confirmed, “Miss you. We go to play yard?”  
  
Gabe looked up at Dean. “Can we?”  
  
“It’s almost time to go out, anyway.” Dean said, and Gabe beamed.  
  
He picked up Cas, and grunted something about the kid getting heavier.  
  
The two brothers went outside to play, Cas tugging on Gabe’s hair and giggling. Dean had to admit, Gabriel had been the kid’s primary source of comfort. Every day when they would play outside, he and Gabriel would stick together and scramble around side-by-side. This would go on for hours, until the kids were worn out and needed rest.  
  
Dean felt a tug at his shirt.  
  
“We go outside?” Hannah asked, looking up at him  
  
“Sure thing. Let’s get the others, huh?” he said, and she ran over to the table to get Anna, Rachel, Benny, Lucas, and Charlie.  
  
The next thing he knew, he was being pulled towards the back door by six small children and out into the warm summer light.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Dean watched all the kids playing in the yard for a long time, before Sammy sat down beside him. Cassie and Gabe were tumbling through the grass, kicking a purple ball towards the tree. Balthazar, Lucie, and Gadreel were playing tag - Gadreel was it, so he chased the two others. The rest of Dean’s kids were playing in the grass by the swingset.  
  
Sam’s kids were either jumping rope or sitting on the steps.  
  
Cassie giggled loudly and fell into the grass, holding the purple ball away from Gabe, who was faking a struggle to get it. Dean remembered doing the exact same thing with Sammy, when he was little. After their mom and dad had died, Dean had done all he could to keep Sam’s spirits up - which sometimes included faking a smile and lying about being okay.  
  
Cas had been through even more than Dean and Sam combined. The thought of someone sexually abusing a toddler made Dean’s blood boil. And it made his heart break, for the little kid left with the scars of being used. Cas stumbled again, and Gabe caught him before he could fall.  
  
“I feel for this kid, y’know?” Dean said.  
  
“I know.” Sam whispered, “And I’ve thought about it.”  
  
“About what?”  
  
“About getting Cas medical help.” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think we should do it. He’s healing with Gabe’s help, and he’s smiling again… Cas is just… he’s so young, Dean. I don’t know what - what we would do with that.”  
  
Sam wiped at his eyes.  
  
“I don’t know either.” Dean confessed, “But no matter what happened to these kids, we’ve gotta protect them. Just like we always have.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“And if that means going through some rough times with one of them, then so be it. Because I’m not about to _leave one behind,_ just because he can’t keep up.” Dean said He realized his voice was trembling as he looked at Sam. “We’ve got to help Cas, even if it hurts.”  
  
“We can.” Sam promised, “I know why you… feel for him, and I get it - I do. Just like I get why you opened this place. I’m just saying, I’ll help you all the way.”  
  
Dean nodded slowly, averting his watery green eyes to the grass. He breathed in the cool Thursday afternoon air, and blinked back tears.  
  
He watched Gabriel picking flowers for Cas.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)
> 
> Love you babies <3


End file.
